Making Perpetual E-Book Acquisition Simple and Fast: A Real-World Look at Mosaic with Reed College

Welcome to the second post in our ongoing series highlighting how libraries are using Mosaic by GOBI Library Solutions, at different stages of the book acquisition lifecycle. In our first post, we explored how East Central University onboarded to Mosaic and began ordering without delay. That story focused on implementation. This one focuses on firm, perpetual e-book ordering in a daily workflow.

Academic library acquisitions teams operate inside layered systems, tight timelines, and shifting vendor models. Firm e-book ordering often requires multiple platforms, manual verification, and close monitoring to ensure titles move from cart to catalog without delay. In that environment, speed and clarity directly affect how quickly faculty and students gain access to the resources they request.

For Melissa Molek, Technical Services Specialist (primarily focused on acquisitions) at Reed College, speed and predictability are essential parts of managing e-book acquisitions within a small, highly collaborative team.

“It can be as little as half-an-hour from the submission of the order in Mosaic to the book being publicly available in Primo, which is amazing.”

For a small acquisitions team balancing multiple systems and responsibilities, that kind of turnaround meaningfully changes how perpetual e-book ordering fits into the broader workflow.

From Webinar to Daily Workflow

Melissa first learned about Mosaic through the Mosaic Innovation Spotlight and Open Forum webinar series.

“I attended a couple of the webinars [about Mosaic] when Mosaic was first introduced.”

As the staff member responsible for overseeing e-book workflows, she appreciated that the sessions were practical and focused on real workflow questions rather than abstract features. The webinars helped her understand how Mosaic would fit into her existing acquisitions process and what the ordering experience would look like in practice.

When she began using the platform, that expectation held.

“I felt like it was pretty straightforward.”

The interface felt intuitive from the beginning.

“The interface is so clean and easy to use. You don't need to click around in menus and submenus to find what you need because the site is very straightforward.”

That early clarity made it easier to move from introduction to production use without major internal process change.

At the time, Reed was navigating vendor shifts that affected individual e-book purchasing, and the team needed a dependable path forward for perpetual access titles.

Mosaic became their primary platform for perpetual e-book acquisition, with GOBI still used when needed for e-books not yet in Mosaic (which is approaching 80% parity with GOBI).

Faster Firm Ordering by Design

Reed typically prioritizes unlimited user, DRM free access when available.
Being able to filter for those options immediately removes uncertainty from the selection process.

“Being able to select those options [like DRM free access] in the facets [filter options in Mosaic] is awesome because I don't have to waste time figuring out what's what.” 

Instead of opening multiple records to confirm licensing terms or access limits, Melissa can narrow results quickly and move forward with confidence. That reduces decision time and lowers the risk of selecting a model that does not meet user needs.

Once the e-book is identified and submitted, the workflow continues without unnecessary interruption. Mosaic generates the purchase order line and portfolio almost immediately.

“I get almost instantly an email saying [Mosaic is] working on the order. Within like two minutes, the POL [purchase order line in Alma] and portfolio [electronic resource record] are already in there.”

That rapid system response reduces the lag between ordering and activation. Melissa confirms the electronic record in Alma, activates the link when it becomes available, and the e-book flows into Primo shortly after.

“Our faculty and students are so happy when they say, ‘I know it's last minute, but can we get this e-book?’ And within an hour I'm sending them the link [to the live e-book].”

What previously required close monitoring and follow up now moves predictably from submission to discovery. The result is a process that is straightforward, responsive, and easier to manage from start to finish.

Automation That Supports Efficiency

The improvements extend beyond ordering.

Automated invoicing reduces routine tracking and follow up, which are often the most time-consuming parts of acquisitions work.

“With the invoice imported automatically [via API integration], all I really have to do is double check that it came through and everything's coded right.”

Instead of checking multiple systems or waiting for manual invoice processing, Melissa reviews and confirms the invoice quickly at the start of her day.

“It takes me like two minutes in the morning [to review invoices]. It's the first thing I do, and then I'm done with it for the day.”

That consistency reduces administrative overhead and makes the broader workflow more predictable.

Proactive Partnership Builds Confidence

Reed also experienced responsive support when an issue arose with the “interested user” field, which automatically notifies the faculty member who requested a title.

The Mosaic team identified the issue proactively and addressed it quickly.

“I wouldn't have known [notifications were not sending] unless a faculty member asked where their e-book was. They flagged it and fixed it.”

To prevent confusion, the feature was temporarily disabled while the fix was implemented, then restored once fully resolved. The quick response reinforced Reed’s confidence in the platform.

“I've loved that [Mosaic is] fixing bugs as they come up in development. You're not just saying, ‘Here's the platform,’ and leaving it at that.”

Melissa appreciates the deliberate but responsive approach.

“I would much rather you take the time and get it right than roll it out and have it be messy [or unstable].